Swimsuits for competition and racing



April 8, 1969 L. c. CAHAN SWIMSUITS FOR COMPETITION AND RACING Sheet Filed May 29, 1967 INVENTOR.

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Filed May 29, 1967 April 1969 L. c. CAHAN 3,436,762

SWIMSUITS FOR COMPETITION AND RACING Filed May 29, 1967 Sheet 3 of 3 Fry. 5. 2g 5.

IN VEN TOR.

lg slie C. Ca/mn ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,436,762 SWIMSUITS FOR COMPETITION AND RACING Leslie C. Cahan, 1033 Channel Drive, Hewlett Harbor, N.Y. 11557 Filed May 29, 1967, Ser. No. 641,796 Int. Cl. A41d 7/00 U.S. Cl. 267 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A girls swimsuit for competition formed of two-way stretch material to permit a single. suit to fit various sized persons and provided with material at the front that shunts water entering under the suit from the top outwardly from the body of the wearer. The suit maintains the velocity of the water during its short time of travel inside the suit approximately 4 /2 inches, until it exits, equal to the velocity of the water travelling outside the suit.

The swimsuit of the present invention is quite distinctive from the suits such as are sold for competition and commercially for sun and surf bathing.

There are four basic strokes used in competitive swimming and each depends on the swimmer reaching far to the front with his or her arms and then forcing the water beneath or beside the swimmer to gain momentum.

Women swimmers have been handicapped by very real problems which have been difficult to solve. One of these difficulties arises from the use of a loose suit which tends to make competition difficult. This is because, unless the suit stays snug around the arms, particularly in the regions commonly referred to as armpits and above the. bust and across the upper back, water will be trapped in the billowing or bellied out suit and thus produce a drag that will slow down the wearer to the extent that good competitive times are substantially impossible.

According to the present invention, the swimsuit is formed of stretch material so that the size problems are eliminated, small, medium and large being the only sizes necessary. Furthermore, the swimmer has unrestricted motion, there being a lack of binding on the body, and fast growing youngsters do not outgrow the suit so fast etc. Also, sea anchor effects and water and air pockets are eliminated.

Furthermore, the invention contemplates providing a so-called water discharge window in the front of the body of the suit extending from the top to the bottom of the body of the suit, formed of fabric material that permits the water to escape therethrough, thereby forming a socalled water discharge window or outlet. The material selected for this purpose is stretch nylon mesh material having enough porosity that for all practical purposes presents zero impedance to water flowing through said material at a velocity of at least seven miles per hour.

Brief description of the views of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a front perspective view of the swimsuit made in accordance with the present invention shown applied.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the suit taken on the plane of the line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the suit taken on the plane of the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the front panel.

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the inner lining of the front panel.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the plane of the line 77 of FIG. 1.

"FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a mans swimsuit 3,436,762 Patented Apr. 8, 1969 Detailed description of the drawings Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawings, in FIG. 1 a girls swimsuit 10 is shown fitted around the torso and upper portion of the legs of the body of a wearer. The suit includes a conventional plain upper leg portion 18. The edges of the arm holes are indicated at 20. The edges of the leg holes are indicated at 22, and the neck line is indicated at 23.

The body of the swimsuit is composed of a front panel 24, a rear panel 26 and connecting side panels 28, 28. The rear panel 26 is sectional including sections 30 and 32 secured together by a seam 34, and secured to the side panels 28, 28 by seams 36, 36. The side panels 28, 28 are connected to the front panel 24 by seams 39, 39.

The nylon mesh material of panel 24 is such that its porosity provides zero impedance to water flowing through the material at a velocity of at least seven miles per hour. Accordingly, the front panel 24 serves as an automatic water discharge window.

In accordance with the present invention, the rear panel 26 including the sections 30 and 32 and the side panels 28, 28 are composed of two-way stretch fabric material, stretchable horizontally about 200% and vertically about as viewed in FIG. 1. The material is a Nylon tricot containing 40% elastic yarn sold under the trademark Lycra, the material being manufactured by Burlington Mills.

At the top of the side panels 28, 28 at the front top end thereof, a fullness is formed, of two plies of the material of the side panels defining pockets 29 for the breasts of the wearer.

An important feature of the present invention is the construction and composition of the front panel 24 shown in detail in FIG. 5. This panel extends from the top of the suit to the bottom of the suit, and is formed of two plies, an inner ply 38 and an outer ply 40'. The panel 24 is formed of nylon two-way stretch mesh fabric material, such for example as Lycra power net.

The inner ply 38 extends to a point remote from the bottom and of outer ply 40 as indicated at 42. The front panel extends upwardly at its sides constituting one half of the shoulder straps 14, the sections 30 and 32 of the rear panel 26, extending upwardly at the sides constituting the other half of the shoulder straps 14. The bottom end of the outer ply 40 of the front panel is formed with a hem 43.

At the top, the front panel 24 is lined over the bust area or portion thereof, extending downwardly from the neck line 23 with a panel 46 of a standard nylon tricot that passes a little water but acts as a channel for the water to the mesh. The bottom end of panel 46 is stitched to the top end of the inner ply 38 of the front panel 24 as indicated at 48 of the stretch nylon mesh-power net.

The crotch portion 19 is formed of two plies of the same material as the panel 46 at the top of the front panel 24 and is formed of two sections. Front section 50 is stitched to the bottom end of the inner ply 38 of the front panel 24 as indicated at 52 and along the seams between the side panels 28 and front panel 24. The rear section 54 is stitched to the rear panel across the seam 34 joining the bottom ends of rear sections 30 and 32.

By reason of the construction of the front panel 24, it functions as an automatic water discharge window being actuated by the velocity and volume of the water entering the suit mostly at the neck and chest area of the wearer,

shunting this water through the material of the panel to the outside of the suit. The front panel 24 maintains the velocity of the water during its time of travel inside the suit, only 4 /2 inches, until its exit, equal to the velocity of the water travelling outside the suit. This is a condition which must be satisfied for the ideal performance of a girls competitive swimsuit. The panel 24 while porous is still semi-opaque and cannot be seen through.

By constructing the swimsuit of stretch material, a number of problems are solved, for example, most size problems are eliminated, small, medium and large being the only sizes necessary. The swimmer has unrestricted motion, no binding is experienced, and fast growing youngsters do not so easily grow out of it, thereby eliminating sea anchor effects and Water and air pockets.

The panel 46 which lines the inside of the front panel 24 at the bust area of the suit serves to channel the water which enters the neck portion of the suit to the front panel or water discharge window 24 where the water vanishes or becomes dissipated through the material of the front panel 24.

In FIGS. 8 to 10, inclusive, the invention is shown embodied in a mans swim trunks 10'. The swim trunks 10 comprises a front panel 24', a rear panel 26 and a crotch portion 19'. The front and rear panels are secured to each other at the sides by seams 60, 60, and the crotch portion 19 is secured to the rear panel 26' by a seam 62'. The leg holes are indicated at 22'.

In accordance with this form of the invention, the material of the panels 24', 26 and crotch portion 19' is formed of the same material as the rear and side panels of the swimsuit 10, that is, two-Way stretch material, such as a nylon tricot Lycra. The front panel 24' and the crotch portion 19 are lined with a panel 64 of the same material as the material of the front panel 24 of swimsuit 10, that is nylon mesh with Lycra power net. The swim trunks 10' eliminates the size problem, small, medium and large being the only sizes necessary in stock. The swimmer has unrestricted motion, and sea anchor effects and water and air pockets eliminated.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A girls swimsuit for competition comprising an elongated body composed of front, rear and side panels and a crotch portion, shoulder straps connecting the front and rear panels, the rear and side panels being formed of two-way stretch fabric material, the crotch portion being formed of non-stretchable material, the front panel being formed of two-way stretchable nylon mesh power net including elastic yarns so that water entering at the neck of the body of the swimmer between the body of the suit and the body of the swimmer escapes through the front panel to the outside of the body of the suit and is dissipated before it reaches the other end of said body, the front panel including two plies with the inner ply terminating short of the top of the outer ply and a lining above the inner ply extending over the bust area, the top ends of the side panels being formed with a fullness forming a pocket for the breast of the wearer, the rear panel being sectional, the top ends of the rear sections constituting one-half of the length of the shoulder straps, the top ends of the front panel constituting the other half of the length of the shoulder straps, the crotch portion including front and rear sections, the front section of the crotch portion being attached to *the bottom end of the inner ply of the front panel, the rear section of the crotch portion being attached to the bottom ends of the sections of the rear panel.

2. A girls swimsuit for competition comprising an elongated body composed of front, rear and side panels and a crotch portion, shoulder straps connecting the front and rear panels, the rear and side panels being formed of two-way stretch fabric material, the crotch portion being formed of non-stretchable material, the front panel being formed of two-way stretchable nylon mesh power net including elastic yarns so that water entering at the neck of the body of the swimmer between the body of the suit and the body of the swimmer escapes through the front panel to the outside of the body of the suit and is dissipated before it reaches the other end of said body, the front panel including two plies, the inner ply terminating short of the top of the outer ply, a lining of non-stretchable material on the inner surface of the front panel at the top thereof over the bust area of the body, said rear panel being sectional, the top ends of the rear sections constituting one-half of the length of the shoulder straps, the top ends of the front panels constituting the other half of the length of the shoulder straps, said crotch portion including front and rear sections, the front section being attached to the bottom end of the inner ply of the front panel, the rear section being attached to the bottom ends of the sections of the rear panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,450,085 9/ 1948 Gantner 267 2,854,669 10/ 8 Cohen 267 3,333,589 8/1967 Cohen et al 267 XR H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 2238 

